A Frugal Food Recipe

Frugal bread pudding is made from a frugal food recipe. The two main ingredients are stale bread and sour milk. This is what differentiates the recipe from regular bread pudding. In other words, they are ingredients that Middle-Class people would normally throw away. As part of The Former Middle Class, we make frugal family food. We work with what we have and we do not throw usable food away. In addition to that group, I have started another group that will increase and reiterates helpful information from the first group. Th new group is called, Healthy Frugal Food Resources & Recipes.

Why Frugal Food Recipes?

We were victims of The Poor Middle Class Crisis resulting in our becoming One Day From Homeless in 2009. This was a result of the 2008 stock market crash. My husband lost his job the same week as the crash. By 2009, we had depleted all our equity and savings. We had to turn to the social services system for help. This meant we had to learn to live a very different way from the past. This is where frugal food recipes eventually came into the picture.
 

Frugal Bread Pudding

The second thing that makes a recipe frugal is that as many ingredients as possible come from a food pantry or other donated source. In the case of this frugal bread pudding recipe, most of the ingredients are from our food pantry.

Let’s compare the ingredients in the regular recipe with my frugal bread pudding recipe:
THE ORIGINAL INGREDIENTS
16 slices bread, cubed
1 cup raisins
2 cans (12 fluid ounces each) NESTLÉ® CARNATION® Evaporated Milk
4 large eggs, slightly beaten
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter, melted
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
Caramel sauce (optional)

MY FRUGAL INGREDIENTS
2 loaves of whole-grain bread* (I got 4 loaves so I made double the recipe)
a cup of raisins*
one can of condensed milk*
1 can of coconut milk*
2 large eggs, slightly beaten
3/4 cup packed sugar (a mix of brown sugar/stevia)*
ghee
cinnamon
nutmeg
*ingredient is from a food pantry

Comparing a Regular Recipe to a Frugal Recipe

What makes a regular recipe different from a frugal recipe:
1. using what is at hand only
2. making no store purchases for the recipe
3. relying upon food pantry or other donated items
4. making a recipe as healthy as possible

Conclusion

Our lives have changed dramatically since we became members of The Former Middle Class. Actually, in many ways, these changes are for the better. We do not rely as much on consumerism for joy and entertainment. Instead, we focus on simple, cost free pleasures. Life itself has more meaning and more value. We appreciate and have gratitude for all the miraculous things that constantly happen in our lives. This is not to say that it is easy or without major challenges at times. But we have become much more self-sufficient, less wasteful and more resourceful.

We know how important it is to ask for help and participate in giving it in community. Learning to make cost effective food like frugal bread pudding is the proof that we are living a blessed life. Frugality is not a punishment. It allows us to see and experience life in a very different perspective. It is a perspective that has much more room for what is really of value in life.

Sources and Resources

Frugal Living to a Rich Life
The Former Middle Class Facebook page
Frugal Family Food a helpful Facebook group
The Original Raisin Bread Pudding Recipe
A Savvy Savings Survivalist
101m 101 Ways to Prepare Canned Chicken
Frugal Living Guide and Tips from Money Hacks
How a Year of Extreme Frugality Changed Us
Frugal Living 101 from TheBalance.com
The Cheapskate Guide to 50 Tips for Living Frugal from zenhabits.com
Frugal Living from MorningChores.com
Frugal Living Rules from Time.com
Frugal Living from My Money Wizard